1000 Homosexuals
Anita Bryant, for those who know her, is a name synonymous with homophobia. Her political activism in the mid 1970’s called for campaigning to "Save Our Child" and disallowing gays the rights for equality and non-discrimination.
But first and foremost, Bryant was an entertainer, a singer who achieved pop hits like "Paper Roses" and had endorsement deals with the Florida Citrus Commission. The new play, 1,000 Homosexuals, tells a heightened version of Anita Bryant’s reality, filled with menacing, predatory gays and singing, dancing queens (okay, that part MIGHT sometimes be true).
The play, performed at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Studio Center, follows Bryant from her start as the "In My Little Corner of the World" singer/housewife to the poster child for an anti-gay Christian crusade. The play hits upon key moments from Bryant’s life, including famed speeches and her being "pied" on television, which she famously remarked: "At least it’s a fruit pie." The playwright, Michael Yawney, says in the program that he "never actually thought anyone would want to see a play about Anita Bryant." He’s most probably right, but the play has been catapulted into extreme relevance with the question of gay rights becoming an issue now more than ever with the Proposition 8 initiative in California and across the country, as well as playing an integral part of Gus Van Sant’s new biopic "Milk" where extensive footage of her anti-gay campaign is used to striking effect. The timeliness of the play makes it all the more interesting and luckily for the creative team makes for a run of sold out shows (it will have another run in February).
The biggest strength in "1,000 Homosexuals" is its star, Merry Jo Cortada as Anita Bryant. She never leaves the stage for its two-hour-plus run and carries the play on her shoulders, fully embodying the character with great wit and vulnerability. She lifts the play to its highest moments, including the great scene where she continuously climbs the ladder and leaps off it, with the same type of fearlessness as her performance. The rest of the cast, including an especially likable Bill Spring, hold their own, each switching into their multiple characters sometimes within seconds with great ease.
Although some lines were supposed to be funny for their sheer absurdity or shock value, the fact that the play and the characters were solely from Bryant’s perspective wasn’t exactly clear. Therefore lines where it seems where the gaymcharacters in the play are justifying, even glorifying, sexual contact with younger boys can be slightly offensive before you realize that "1,000 Homosexuals" takes place in Bryant’s world, where she sees gays as trying to "recruit" boys into homosexuality.
This "comedy" does have some really funny moments but at the same time, the strong subject matter felt heavy. Some moments were disturbing, and in the first act, the audience wasn’t sure what was okay to laugh at and what wasn’t. The audience grew more comfortable for the second act, as did the actor’s performances. All in all, "1,000 Homosexuals" is a comedy/drama with an anything-goes tone, but be prepared that for every laugh, there’s also a hard-hitting, poignant history lesson about equality, discrimination, and faith.
Playing through November 23rd, 2008
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Studio Center, Miami, FL
$35
February 26-28, 2009
Byron Carlyle Theater, Miami Beach, FL
Visit the 1,000 Homosexuals website for more details.
